When Old and New Lives Collide
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: After ten long years, Starr finally has the life she's always wanted.  A loving husband and three wonderful children.  What does she do when an old flame gets out of prison?  The man she's built a life with, or the man that she was forced to leave behind?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Life To Live or any of its characters**

**When Old and New Lives Collide**

Starr walked downstairs and into the living room of her house. The living room held a white leather couch, two armchairs on either side of the glass coffee table, and a large flat screen television in front of the couch.

Starr went over to the large window behind one of the armchairs and just stared out. She smiled. Her life had changed quite a bit in the last ten years. She had a career that she loved, a nice house that she owned, a loving husband, and three beautiful kids. Her life was almost perfect. Sure, she still thought about Cole, especially when she looked at Hope, but she'd come to accept a life without him. It had been really hard at first, but it had gotten easier over time.

She soon felt a pair of warm arms wrap themselves around her. She smiled. "Morning."

"Good morning yourself, Twinkle," James said. "So what are you thinking about?"

"Just about everything that's changed over the years. It still all feels unreal, you know?" Starr asked.

James laughed. "You mean that instead of breaking the law I now uphold it?"

Starr laughed back. James was now a hotshot defense attorney who worked with her stepmother, Tea Delgado. "And me, the once single mother, now a pediatrician, and wife and mother of three."

"Yeah, I think we've gotten are lives together pretty well," James said.

They then heard laughter coming from upstairs. "I think the rugrats are up," Starr said.

James laughed. "I think that's a pretty safe bet."

"It looks like it's time to start being parents. Okay, you get Nathaniel dressed and make sure Hope is out of bed," Starr said. Nathaniel was their three year old son. His full name was Nathaniel Jonathan Ford. He was named after two of his uncles. They also had a one-year-old daughter named Lilian Blair Ford. "I'll get Lily ready.

James nodded and headed upstairs. He went into Hope's room first. "Come on, Hope. Time to get up.

Hope groaned at her stepfather's voice. "Five more minutes."

"No, now. Come on, you're going to be late for school," James said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Hope commented as she picked her head up. She had long blond hair and blue eyes.

James rolled his eyes and laughed. "Just get up and get ready. He then left the room and went across the hall to his son's room. He wasn't surprised to see the blond haired little boy on the floor playing with his toys. "Hey buddy."

"Hi, Daddy," Nathaniel said.

"Time to get dressed," James said as he picked the little boy up off the ground and placed him on his hip.

"But I wanna play," Nathaniel protested.

"You'll be able to play all you want at daycare. Right now he need to get dressed and go downstairs to have breakfast," James said.

"Pancakes?" he asked hopefully.

"We'll see what we can do," James said as he opened a dresser drawer and pulled out some cloths.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About a half hour later, everyone was sitting at the kitchen table finishing breakfast. James was dressed in suit and tie, and Starr was dressed in hospital scrubs.

"So who's picking me up from soccer practice today?" Hope asked. Both her mother and stepfather had

"Uncle James. He's going to pick you guys up and take you to your grandmother's," Starr said.

"Which one?" Hope wondered. They had a lot grandmothers, so it was hard to tell which one she meant.

"Grandma Marty," Starr said. Despite the fact that Marty wasn't technically the younger kids' grandmother, she never treated them any differently than Hope. She'd always been willing to help out when necessary.

"Okay," Hope said.

"Alright, we better go," James told Hope. He was taking her to school before work. Starr took the younger ones to Daycare because it was in the hospital where she worked.

"Okay, let me go grab my stuff," Hope said before racing out of the room.

"I'll be waiting in the car!" James called after her. He then got up and picked up his daughter. Lily had his dark hair and dark eyes. "Bye sweetie. Daddy, will see you soon."

Starr got up and kissed her husband briefly. "See you later."

"I can't wait," James said before handing his daughter over. He then went over and kissed his son on the cheek. "I'll see you later, buddy."

"Okay, bye Daddy," Nathaniel said.

James smiled at his son before walking out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Cole Thornhart walked out of Statesville prison. It had been ten long years but he was finally out of that hell. He could finally be free to go where ever he wanted whenever he wanted. He could turn the corner now without looking over his shoulder. He could get his life back. And he was going to start by getting his family back.


	2. Chapter 2

Starr and James walked into Capricorn. The kids were staying with Ford and Langston for the night, and they were having some time by themselves. They walked over to the bar, where they found Blair. "Hey Mom.

"Hey, you two. I had a feeling I'd be seeing the two of you tonight," Blair said smiling.

Starr laughed. "What was your first clue? The fact that we've been coming in here every Friday for the years. She and James spent every Friday doing something just the two of them. It was their date night. Their lives were pretty hectic, so they felt the need to take one night a week to spend together. Friday nights were spent with just the two of them, and Saturdays, they spent with the kids as a family.

"Where are the kids tonight?" Blair asked.

"With Ford and Langston," Starr said. They'd been with Marty until six, but they didn't want to put too much on her. Also, Ford and Langston enjoyed spending their own time with the children.

"Alright, well you guys have fun," Blair said.

"We will, " Starr said before she and James went over to a table and sat down.

James just looked at Starr and smiled. He loved just looking at his wife sometimes. Even after five years of marriage, he still couldn't believe that he and Starr were together. This was everything he'd ever wanted since the day he met Starr.

"What?" Starr asked laughing.

"Just looking at the most beautiful woman in the world," James said.

Starr smiled. "And don't you forget it."

James laughed. "No chance of that twinkle."

"So the kids are going to be with Langston and Ford all night. What are we going to do in that big house all by ourselves?" Starr asked smiling..

James leaned forward smirking. "I'm sure we can think of something." He then started kissing her.

"Alright, you two, get a room."

Starr and James broke apart and turned around to see Dani and Nate there. "Hey. What are you guys doing here?" Starr asked.

"We just thought we'd come for some dinner and dancing," Dani said. "What about you guys?"

"You know we go out every Friday. Your mother's a slave driver and we have three kids, so this is the only chance we really have to be alone," James said.

Dani laughed. "Yeah, I just talked to my mom. Apparently she's still working. Dad's probably going nuts by now."

"Well, he's been married to her for ten years. He should be used to it by now," Starr said.

"Yeah," Dani said laughing. "Anyway, we just wanted to say 'hi.' We'll see you guys later."

"Bye. Later, bro," James told Nate.

Nate waved back before following Dani onto the dance floor.

Starr smiled as she watched Dani and Nate. "It's so great that they're still together."

"Yeah, it is. I think it's great that we're together too," James said.

Starr turned back to her husband and began kissing him once more.

James pulled away after a few minutes. "Okay, I say we blow this joint and go home to continue this."

"I can work with that," Starr said. They both then got up and bolted to the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Langston was in the kitchen of the house she shared with her husband, Robert Ford cleaning up from dinner with Ford and their nieces and nephew when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly put the dishes down and went to answer the door. When she did, she was surprised to see Cole Thornhart on the other side. "Cole?"

"Hey, Langston," Cole said smiling.

Langston immediately hugged him for a minute. "When did you get out?"

"Today. It took me awhile to find you though. You're not listed under the name 'Wild' anymore," Cole said.

"No, Ford and I got married about seven years ago," Langston said.

"I wouldn't know," Cole said sadly.

"That was your choice, Cole. You refused to see anyone, even your mother," Langston reminded him.

Cole nodded. He had done that. After a few months, he just thought it would be better for the people he loved if they didn't see him. He didn't want them seeing him in prison. "I know."

"Have you seen anymore else?" Langston wondered.

"No. I went to my mom's, but she wasn't home. She's probably at the hospital," Cole said. "So can I came in?"

Langston hesitated. That was not a good idea. She had Starr's kids inside. It was not a good idea for Hope to see Cole right now. It was for Starr and James to decide when that happened. "Um, that's not a good idea. We're a bit busy right now.

As if on cue, Ford came into the room. "Lang, Nathaniel wants you to... Cole."

"Ford," Cole said shortly. He wasn't a fan of Robert Ford's, or any of the Ford brothers for that matter.

"I see you're out of prison," Ford said.

"And I see you stopped being a playboy," Cole shot back.

"Okay, enough, you two," Langston said. Now was not the time for these two to fight. Hope could come out at any moment, and that would not be good.

"Sorry," Cole said. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me where Starr is."

"Leave Starr alone," Ford said. The last thing Starr and James needed was for Cole to interfere with their lives. They were both finally happy.

"Excuse me?" Cole asked. He couldn't believe this guy had the nerve to try to interfere with his family.

"Okay, stop it!" Langston ordered both of them. She then turned to Cole. "Cole, I know you want to see Starr, but it would be better if I tell her you're out and let her come to you."

"Why? Why can't I just go see her?" Cole asked.

'_Because she's moved on and won't take you just showing up on her doorstep very well,'_ Langston thought to herself. "Because she deserves a little notice before you just show up."

Cole sighed. "I don't see what the big deal is, but okay. I've waited ten years to get my family back. I can wait another day or two."

"Good. You'll be staying with your mom, right?" Langston asked.

"Yeah, probably," Cole said.

"Alright, I'll tell Starr you were here. I'm sure she'll be by to see you soon," she said. She was certain Starr would go to see Cole once she found out. It certainly wouldn't go as smoothly as Cole seemed to think though.

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you later," Cole said before walking away.

Langston closed the door behind Cole, and turned to her husband. "This is bad."

"You can say that again. Does he really think he can just come back after ten years and just pick up where he left off?" Ford asked in disbelief.

"It seems that way. He's wrong, but he really seems to think that he can just reclaim his family after all this time," Langston said before taking out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Ford asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm calling James and Starr," Langston said.

Ford grabbed the phone out of her hand.

"Ford, what the hell?" Langston asked angrily.

"Not tonight. Give them one last night before pulling them back into Cole Thornhart's drama," Ford said.

"They deserve to know, Ford," Langston said. She didn't feel right about hiding this for even a minute.

"And we will, but not tonight. This is their night. The one night a week that they spend by themselves, and it's probably the last one they'll get for awhile. We should let them have it," Ford said.

Langston sighed. She supposed her husband was right. Starr and James deserved one last night of peace before they had to deal with Cole's return. "Alright, but we tell them as soon as they get here tomorrow."

'Deal," Ford agreed. "Now lets go wrangle the munchkins."

Langston smiled and followed her husband upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Langston opened her front door and found James and Starr there looking happy. She felt really bad that she was about to put a damper on that happiness. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Starr said as she and James entered the house.

"Where's Bobby?" James asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Right here," Ford said as he came down the stairs.

"Hey, bro," James said.

"So where are our little rugrats. We're taking them to breakfast," Starr said.

"Nate and Dani took them to the park," Langston said.

"Why? You knew we'd be here early," Starr said. This wasn't like Langston. She knew that they spent Saturday's as a family. She usually made sure the kids were ready to go.

"Lets go into the kitchen and talk," Ford suggested.

"That doesn't sound good. Are the kids okay?" James asked concerned. Something was off. His brother and Langston didn't normally act this way.

"They're fine. We just need to talk to you guys," said Langston.

"Then do it here," Starr said. She was worried as well. Something was definitely not right.

"You might want to be sitting down for this, Starr," Langston said. She knew that her friend would be quite upset by the news about Cole.

"Just say it," James said.

Langston sighed.

"Last night, Cole showed up. He's out of prison," Langston finally said.

To say that Starr was shocked would be an understatement. That wasn't what she expected to hear. In the back of her head, she knew that Cole's time in Statesville was coming to an end, but for some reason she didn't expect it.

"You okay, Starr?" James asked. He wasn't as shocked as Starr was. He'd thought about this happening. He knew it was coming soon, but he'd assumed they'd have more warning than this.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect this. I should've, but I didn't," Starr said.

"I did," James admitted. "I knew this was going to happen soon, but I figured that we'd have at least some notice.

"Why would they? Cole and I aren't married. Hell, I'm married to someone else. No one has any reason to let me know," Starr said.

"Why don't we go into the living room and sit down?" Langston offered.

"No, we need to go. We have to talk to Hope," Starr said. She couldn't even imagine how Hope was going to react to this. Hope knew the whole story about Cole and why he was in prison, but no one really talked about it much. Hope didn't like talking about Cole.

"I'll go get the kids' things," James said.

"I'll come with you," Ford said before leading the way up the stairs.

"Are you really okay?" Langston asked.

"Yeah. I'm more worried about Hope than anything else. I don't think she's going to take this well," Starr said.

"You might want to worry about James too," Langston said. She had a bad feeling that things would get ugly between the two men.

"What about James? James has nothing to worry about? Yes, Cole and I had a past that can never be forgotten, but James is my world," Starr said firmly. She would always love Cole for giving her Hope, but it was different than the way she loved James. Cole she could live without. James she couldn't. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

"I know that, Starr. I know how much you love James. But Cole doesn't. He thinks that he can just come back and pick up where he left off," Langston explained.

Starr chuckled slightly. "You can't be serious. It's been ten years. He can't really think that he can just come back as if nothing happened."

"He does. He's still calling you and Hope his family. He seems to think that he's going to ride off into the sunset with you and Hope," Langston said.

"That's crazy. I don't even know if Hope is going to want anything to do with him," Starr said. This was unbelievable. Cole couldn't really think they were just going to pick up where they left off, could he? That was just insane.

"It is pretty crazy," Langston agreed. "But he seems to think that that's the way it's going to go."

"Maybe I should take to Cole before I talk to Hope. I have to make him see that the two of us are finished," she said.

In that moment James and Ford came down with the kids' bags. "Okay, I have everything. I figured we'd get the kids from the park ourselves and then just go home."

"Actually, I think I should see Cole before we talk to Hope," Starr said. She knew James wouldn't like it, but she really needed to set things straight with her ex.

"Okay, I'll come with you," he said.

"I need to go by myself," Starr said. She knew if James came with her, it would turn into World World III.

"Starr, I don't think that's a good idea," James said. It wasn't that he didn't trust her because he did. It was Cole he didn't trust. He didn't trust Cole before he went to prison. Now that he was out, he trusted the man even less. He was a lawyer. He saw people in prison. He knew what prison could do to a man. For all he knew, Cole could have come out of prison even worse than he went in.

"I'll be fine, James. Cole's probably at Marty's, so it's not like we'll be alone. It'll be alright," Starr assured her husband.

James sighed. He didn't like it, but he knew better than to argue when Starr made up her mind. There was no stopping her. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise. I'll see you later," Starr said before quickly kissing her husband goodbye. She then walked out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Starr knocked on Marty's front door. She was passed the initial shock of Cole's return and was now a bit angry. What right did Cole have to just come back after all these years and just expect them to pick up where they left off?

The door was opened a second later by Marty. "Starr, hi. Is everything alright?"

Starr brushed past her and into the house. "Where is he? What right does he have?"

"What?" asked a confused Marty as she closed the door.

"I mean, what does he think I'm going to do? Just abandon my husband and kids? That's crazy," Starr ranted.

"Okay, Starr, calm down. What is going on?" Marty asked.

"Y...you don't know?" Starr asked surprised. She'd been sure that Cole had come to his mother's after leaving Langston's, but if Marty didn't know, he obviously hadn't.

"Know what?" she asked.

Before Starr had a chance to answer, there was a knock on the door.

"Hold that thought," Marty said before going to answer the door. She was shocked to find her son on the other side. "Cole?"

Cole smiled. "Hi, Mom."

Marty immediately threw her arms around her son. She'd missed him terribly. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom," Cole said before pulling away.

"When did you get out?" Marty asked.

"Yesterday. I came by last night, but you weren't home, so I stayed at a motel for the night," he said.

"I worked in the ER last night," Marty said. She'd left right after James picked up the kids, and she hadn't gotten back until after midnight.

"Well, it's not a big deal," Cole said. He then noticed Starr standing in the living room. He stepped inside and went over to her. "Hey."

"Hi," Starr said.

"I've missed you," Cole said before going to hug her.

Starr took a step back. She knew if she allowed him to hug her, she'd be feeding into his delusion that they would get back together.

"What's wrong?" Cole asked.

Starr turned to Marty. "Marty, can I talk to Cole alone please?"

"Of course," Marty said before quickly leaving the room.

"So how have you been?" Cole asked.

"I've been great," Starr said honestly. The last ten years had been very good to her.

"I'm glad. I've missed you and Hope so much. How is Hope?" Cole asked.

"She's wonderful. She's a great kid," she replied.

"I can't wait to see her. I've missed the two of you like crazy. You guys are the only things I thought about in there. I couldn't wait until the three of us were together ag-"

"Stop!" Starr yelled. She couldn't listen to Cole talk about the three of them being together for another second.

"What?" Cole asked. He didn't understand what he'd done to upset her.

"You cannot just come back here after all these years and expect things to just go back to the way things were," Starr said.

"Why not? We love each other," Cole said.

Starr sighed. "Cole, I do love you, but not the way you want me to. I love you because you're the father of my child, and the first guy I ever loved. But that's as far as it goes. That's as far as it will ever go again."

"Are you saying you don't want to be with me anymore?" Cole asked.

"Yes," Starr said bluntly. It was the only way to get him to understand that they were over. "I'm sorry, Cole, but we've been done for a long time."

"How can you say that? We're soul mates. We[re supposed to be together forever," Cole said.

"Cole, that was years ago. Did you really expect me to just wait for you to get out of prison?" Starr asked.

"You said you would," Cole reminded her.

"I was eighteen. I was nave to think that I could just put my life on hold for ten years," Starr said.

"So you just moved on to get passed me?" Cole asked. That was good. That meant that they still had a chance.

"No. I didn't just turn to someone else just to get over you. I love him," Starr said.

"Who?" he asked.

"You know who," Starr said. Cole wasn't that stupid. He had to know that it was James she was with.

"James," Cole growled. "You're dating James."

"No, I'm not dating him. I'm married to him," Starr told him.

"You married that creep? How could you? _We're_ supposed to be together. How could you betray me like this?" Cole asked.

Starr could hardly believe her ears. Did he really just accuse her of betraying him? "How dare you? What gives you the right to accuse me of betraying you? You've betrayed me more times than I can count. Mostly with Hannah. You know, the lunatic that tried to bury me alive?"

"Come on, that was ten years ago. Do we really need to go into it now?" Cole asked.

"You're right, Cole. It's dead and buried. Just like us."

"That's not true. We have a connection. We have a child together," Cole reminded her. That was a bond that could never be broken.

"I have children by James as well," Starr said. She didn't want to hurt Cole, but she had to make him see the truth. Her love for James was real. It wasn't just a convenience thing.

"You have kids with that guy," asked a horrified Cole. He felt like he'd just been punched. He was supposed to be the only father of Starr's children.

"We have a son and a daughter together. We're a family. I'm sorry if that hurts you to hear, but it's the truth. James and our children are my life," she said.

"And what about me? I'm Hope's father," Cole said.

Starr nodded. "And for that reason, you and I will always have a connection. We are Hope's Parents, and I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to help you have a relationship with her, but that's as far as it goes."

"So that's it?"

"That's it. I'm sorry," Starr said before grabbing her purse and walking away.


	5. Chapter 5

Starr walked into her home and found James pacing the living room. "You're going to wear a whole into the carpet, honey."

James breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Starr. He'd been worried. "How'd it go? Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright. What, did you think he was going to hurt me?" Starr asked.

"I couldn't be sure. I've seen what happens to people in prison, Starr. I know what some are capable of, and Cole already has a temper," James said. He was mostly sure that Cole wouldn't physically hurt Starr, but you just never knew with people who'd been in prison.

"I'm fine, James," she assured him before going to sit down on the couch. "Where are the kids?"

James sat down next to his wife. "Upstairs. Hope's been down every ten minutes though. She knows something's wrong?

Starr nodded. She wasn't surprised. Hope always was a perceptive kid. She could always tell when something wasn't right. "We have to tell here."

"I know."

"She's not going to take this well. She doesn't even like to talk about Cole," Starr said. She tried many times to get Hope to talk to her about Cole, but she was never interested.

"She talks to me sometimes," James admitted. Hope had confided in him a few times about her feeling about Cole.

"She does? Why didn't she come to me?" Starr asked, feeling a little hurt.

"I think she was trying to protect you. I think she didn't want you to have to think about that part of your life. I also think that it was easier for her to talk to me because she knew I had no feelings for Cole. She was free to speak her mind without worrying about hurting anyone," he explained.

"I guess that makes sense. I just wish she felt comfortable talking to me too," Starr said.

"Hope knows how hard that time was for you. I think she just didn't want to make it worse."

"She's not going to want to see him, is she?" Starr asked.

At that moment, they heard footsteps from the stairs. Soon, Hope was in front of them. "Are you guys going to tell me what's going on? I know something's wrong."

Starr moved over a little and patted the spot between herself and James. "Come sit down, sweetie."

Hope went over and sat down in between her mother and stepfather. "So what's going on? I know something's wrong because you didn't come home with us. We always spend Saturdays together."

"Well, it's not exactly wrong, but something did happen today. I just came from your grandmother's house. It turns out your father is now out of prison," Starr explained.

"He is?" Hope asked quietly.

"Yes, and he'd really like to see you," she said.

Hope shook her head. "No."

"Hope-"

"I don't want to see him. I hate him!" Hope yelled before running off.

"Hope, wait!" Starr yelled after her.

"Let's just give her a little time, okay?" James suggested.

Starr nodded, and cuddled up in James' arms. It had been a very long day, and she needed the comfort of her husband's arms.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few minutes later, James walked into Hope's room with Nathaniel on his hip.

"Go away, Uncle James," Hope said. She was lying on her bed on her stomach.

"Come on, your brother wants to spend some time with you," James said.

"No, he doesn't. You just brought him in here so you could bug me," Hope said. She knew her stepfather too well. Bringing Nathaniel into her room was just a ploy to get her to talk to him.

"That's not true. He really wanted to see you. Isn't that right, buddy?" James asked his son.

"Yeah," said Nathaniel.

"I don't want to talk, Uncle James. Just leave me alone," Hope said miserably.

"Are you sad, Hope?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yeah, a little," she said.

"I make it better," Nathaniel said before squirmed to be put down.

James set his wiggling son down, allowing him to go over and put his small arms around Hope.

Hope couldn't help but smile at her little brother's attempt to make her feel better. Only a child as young and innocent as Nathaniel could think that a simple hug could make everything better, and in a way, it did. "Thanks, Nathaniel."

"Better?" Nathaniel asked.

"A little," Hope said, smiling slightly.

James bent down to his son's level. "Hey, why don't you go find your mommy?"

"Okay, Daddy," the boy said before racing out of the room.

James then sat down next to Hope on the bed. "Listen, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. You don't really know your father, and what you do know is that he killed a man and was taken out of your life."

"I hate him. He went to jail because he broke the law. It's his own fault that I don't know him," Hope said. She'd found out what her father did to be taken out of her life a couple of years earlier. She hated him for it. She hated him for making a choice that would put him in prison.

"What he did was wrong, but in his defense, he thought he'd lost you and your mom. He thought that man had killed you. He didn't think he had anything left," James said. He didn't like Cole, but he honestly couldn't really blame the man for killing Elijah Clark. He couldn't honestly say he wouldn't have done the same if he'd been in Cole's position.

"Why should I care about him? I don't know him. I don't want to know him," she said. "I wish you were my father."

That comment melted James' heart. He's always loved Hope like she was his own. "You know how much I love you, Hope. As far as I'm concerned, I am your father. But so is he. He loves you too." No matter what else, he knew that Cole loved Hope. "He's missed out on most of your life. He just wants to know the great kid that you are."

"It's his own fault he doesn't know me, Uncle James. He broke the law and went to jail. That's his fault," Hope said.

"You're right, it is, but can't you just give him a chance? Can't you try to get to know him," James asked. He wasn't trying to pressure her or anything, but he knew that if Hope didn't at least try to get to know Cole, she'd regret it.

Hope sighed. "I'll try." She didn't want to do it, but she knew it would make things easier for her mother and stepfather. She would try to get to know her father for their sakes.


	6. Chapter 6

Langston opened her front door to find Cole there. She was less than thrilled at him being there. She knew there was only one reason for him to be at her door. "Cole."

"Hey. Can I come in?" Cole asked.

"Sure," Langston said before reluctantly stepping aside to let him in.

"You don't seem too happy to see me. You didn't last time either," Cole told her as he walked inside.

Langston sighed. "Cole, it's not like that. It's just that a lot of things have changed over the years."

"Yeah, I'm getting that. You and Ford, Starr and James." He spit out James' name like it was poison.

"Cole, Starr loves James," Langston said.

"So she says," Cole said, clearly not believing it. In his mind, Starr was just confused. He just had to remind her of what they had.

"It's the truth. This isn't just some fling, Cole. They are married. They have three kids," Langston said. Without thinking, she included Hope in that.

"Hope is my child, not his!" Cole said angrily.

"I wasn't trying to say she's not," Langston tried to appease. She hadn't meant to upset him, but he had to realize that Hope was a part James' family now too. "I know that Hope is your daughter, and she always will be, but she loves James. He is the father that she's known. I'm not saying this to hurt you, but you are going to have to accept the fact that James is here to stay. Starr is not going to leave him for you, and Hope is not going to stop loving James because you came back."

"So you're not going to help me."

"If Help means be your friend and help you move on, I'd be glad to help you, but if you mean help as in help you destroy a happy family, then hell no," Langston said bluntly. There was no way she was going to help destroy her friends' lives.

"It was supposed to be my family. Starr, Hope, and I were supposed to be a family forever," Cole said.

"Well, you're not. And I'm sorry, but you have nobody but yourself to blame for that," Langston said.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Langston quickly went to answer it and found there with Nathaniel and Lily. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey, Langston. Listen, I hate to do this to you, but I really need…" James trailed off when he saw Cole. "Cole."

"James," Cole said coolly.

The two men just glared at each other for a few minutes before Langston finally broke the silence. "Uh, what is it that you needed from me, James?"

James pulled out of the staring contest he was having with Cole and got back to the reason he was there. "Um, Tea called me in and Starr is in surgery."

"Starr's hurt?" Cole asked fearfully.

"No, Cole, she's a doctor. She's performing surgery," Langston said.

"Anyway, I know this is last minute, but can you watch these guys for a while?" James asked.

"Sure, I'd be glad to," Langston said before swatting down to her nephew's level. "Hey, Nathaniel, guess what?"

"What?" asked the excited three-year-old.

"Rider's here," Langston said. Rider was her ten-year-old stepson, and Nathaniel absolutely idolized him. "Wanna go see him? I bet if you ask real nice, he'll teach you a new game."

"Yeah!" Nathaniel said squealed before racing for the stairs.

"Be careful, buddy," James said.

"Here, I'll take Lily upstairs too," Langston said holding out her arms.

James wordlessly handed his daughter over and watched Langston leave with her before heading for the door. He was stopped at the last second by Cole's voice.

"So where's _my_ daughter?" Cole asked making it very clear that Hope was his.

James took a deep breath to try to calm down before turning back around. Cole was already pissing him off. "She's at a sleepover."

"Well, I want to see her. I'm going to see my daughter," Cole said.

"Who said anything about stopping you? You wanna see, Hope, that's fine. We've already talked to Hope about seeing you and she's agreed. Just let us know when you want to see her," James said. He decided to leave out the part where Hope first refused to see Cole. That would just end up in a fight, which he didn't have time for.

"I'll let Starr know when I'm coming to see _my _daughter. You won't have anything to do with it," Cole said.

James took a confrontational step forward. "You listen to me, arrogant little jackass. Starr and Hope are my family whether you like it or not. Anything to do with them involves me. I'm not going to allow you to hurt them again. You wanna see Hope, fine, that's your right, but I'm going to be there to protect her from you if I have to."

The two men stood there on a sort of stand-off until James' cellphone began to ring. He quickly answered it. "James Ford? Sorry, Tea, I had to deal with a little nuisance. I'll be there in twenty minutes," he said before hanging up. He then turned back to Cole. "As much fun as dealing with your issues has been, I have to go to work."

"Oh, going to boost more cars?" Cole asked condescendingly.

James glared at him. "I'm an attorney. That's something you might want to remember before attempting to screw with my family. I can take you down in a million ways, all in the parameters of the law," he said. He then left without giving Cole a chance to respond.


	7. Chapter 7

Starr was walking through the hospital towards her office when she saw her mother in the waiting room. "Mom?"

Blair turned and smiled when she saw her daughter. "Oh, hey, sweetie.

"What are you doing here? You're not sick or anything, are you?" Starr asked concerned.

"Oh, no, I'm fine, Starr. Sam just had a little mishap in wrestling today. It looks like he may have broken his arm. He's going to be fine though," Blair assured her.

Starr sighed in relief.

"So how are you and my beautiful grandchildren?" Blair asked.

"Fine. Nathaniel is so much like James it's not even funny. He's always got that little goofy grin on his face and he's definitely got his sense of adventure. And Lily's getting bigger and bigger every day. She's learning new words all the time," Starr gushed. She loved talking about her children. They always brought a smile to her face whenever she was feeling down.

"And how's Hope?" Blair asked.

Starr sucked in a breath. Hope still wasn't doing too hot. Despite the fact that she'd agreed to see Cole, she still didn't seem to want anything to do with him. She was angry with Cole. Not that Starr really blamed her, but she didn't want her daughter to hate her father.

"Oh, I know that look. You're getting into those teenage years," Blair said knowingly.

"If only that were the case. No, it really has nothing to do with that," she said.

"Then what's wrong?"

Starr went over to a chair and sat down. Blair followed suit. "It's Cole."

"Cole? That's a name I haven't heard you mention in a while," Blair said. Starr hadn't really talked about Cole in years. She'd made the choice to leave Cole behind and move on with her life. It had been a hard decision for her daughter, but a necessary one.

"He's back. Cole's out of prison," Starr told her mother.

"I see," Blair said. She could now see why her daughter was so stressed. That couldn't be an easy situation. "Have you seen Cole?"

"Yeah. And let me tell you, that was not a fun conversation. Cole was under the impression that he could just come back and we would just pick up where we left off," Starr said. That was a goal her ex still hadn't given up on. Langston had told her all about how Cole tried to recruit her in his quest to break up her marriage.

"Okay, that's kind of…"

"Crazy? Yeah, it is, and that's exactly what I told him. He just doesn't get it. But that's not the worst part," Starr said. As much as it irritated her that Cole couldn't take no for an answer, she could deal with it if it was just her and James. Cole couldn't do anything to tear them apart anyway. But if Cole stayed on this path, it was going to drive Hope even further away from him.

"It gets worse," Blair asked.

"I'm worried about Hope. She already resents Cole. She did finally agree to see him at some point, but I know she only did it to make things easier for James and me. She doesn't want anything to do with him. And that feeling is going to get even worse if Cole tries to tear apart her family," Starr said.

"Have spoken to Cole about this?"

"No. I try to have as little contact as possible with Cole," Starr said.

"Is that for James' benefit?" Blair asked.

"Oh, no. James and I trust each other. He knows I'm all about him. Actually, it's more for Cole's benefit. I don't want him thinking that he has a chance. James and I are married. We're happy and I'm not going to let him get in the way of that. I need him to see that we're through. He doesn't believe it when I say it, so maybe he'll believe it if I keep my distance," Starr said.

"But you're going to have to see him eventually. You have a child with him," Blair pointed out.

Starr sighed. "I know. He's actually supposed to come to the house this afternoon to see Hope."

"And you're worried," she said knowingly.

Starr nodded. "I'm afraid that Hope's not going to greet him well and I'm afraid that Cole is going to say or do something that will push her away even further."

"Sweetie, what's going to happen is going to happen. You can't stop it. Hope may not take well to Cole, but if it happens it happens. All you can do is be there. You can't stop the inevitable," Blair said.

Starr sighed. "Right. I can't protect her from this."

Blair smiled sadly. "It's a hard lesson to learn, but an important one. You can't protect your kids from everything.

Starr stood up. "Alright, well I better go. I have a ton of paperwork to do before I go home. Tell Sam I hope his arm feels better."

Blair got up from her chair and hugged her daughter briefly. "I will. You make sure to take care of yourself. And let me know how things go with Cole and Hope."

"I will. Thanks, Mom," Starr said before walking away

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

James was sitting at his desk half listening as Tea was going over one of their cases. His mind was more focused on the situation with Cole.

"James, are you even listening to me?" Tea asked. She could tell his mind was elsewhere.

James looked up at her. "Huh?"

"I guess that's a 'no'," Tea said. She went over to his desk and sat in the chair in front of it. "What's going on?"

James sighed and sat back in his chair. "Cole Thornhart is out of prison."

"Wow, really? Well, I guess the timing does fit. It's been about ten years. You're obviously not happy about it," Tea observed.

"I don't have a problem with him being out. I have a problem with him trying to stake claim to my family," James said irritably.

"James, you don't have anything to worry about. Starr loves you," Tea assured him.

"I know that. I'm not worried that Cole will succeed or anything. I'm worried about what his trying is going to do to my kids, especially Hope. The last thing she needs is the father that has been absent for most of her life trying to rip apart her family. She already wants little to nothing to do with him. What's it going to do to her if he tries to rip everything she knows apart?" James asked. He was very worried about Hope. He didn't want her getting hurt or upset by something going on between her parents.

"Ugh. Déjà vu," Tea said. This reminded her way too much about the situation with Dani all those years ago. "You know that Todd had issues with Dani because she believed someone else to be her father, right?"

James nodded.

"She wanted nothing to do with Todd. And Todd didn't make it any easier. He did the best he could, but his temper and attitude towards everyone and everything made things worse," Tea explained.

James laughed slightly. "You know, Todd would be mortified if he heard you comparing him to Cole."

Tea chuckled. "Yeah, he would. But the point is that everything worked out then. Now if that minefield of a situation can work, so can yours."

"I hope you're right about that," he said.

"I am. Now what do you say we get back to work?" Tea asked. It wasn't really a question though.

James chuckled. "Always the slave driver. Okay, let's get to it."


	8. Chapter 8

James made it home at around four that afternoon. Usually he worked until about six or seven, but since Cole was supposed to arrive at his home at around five, he'd left early so he could be there.

James walked into his house and found Starr sitting on the couch. "Hey."

Starr stood up and went into her husband's arms. "I'm glad you're here."

James hugged his wife back. "Not looking forward to tonight?"

"Not at all," Starr said before pulling away. "I mean, I know that Cole has the right to see his daughter, but I just know it's not going to go well."

James took Starr's hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat down. "I know you're worried. So am I. But it's gonna be okay. No matter what happens with Cole, Hope's gonna be okay because she has us. We'll get her through everything."

Starr smiled and leaned into his embrace. "How'd get so lucky to get a guy like you?"

"I'm the lucky one. I have the most beautiful wife in the world and three wonderful children. Speaking of, where are they?" James asked.

"Nathaniel and Lily are with Nate and Dani. They're going to keep them for the night so we can deal with the Cole situation. Hope's up in her room."

Soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Is that him already?" James asked as he pulled out of the embrace.

"It shouldn't be. He's not supposed to be here for another hour," Starr said as she got up and answered the door. Sure enough, it was Cole. "Cole, you're early. You weren't supposed to come until five."

"Yeah, I know. I just had nothing else to do and I was kind of anxious," Cole said. Truthfully, he'd come early because he was hoping that maybe James wouldn't be there when he got there. He just knew that if he had time alone with Starr and Hope, he could get them back.

Starr sighed. "Well, you're here now. You might as well come in," she said before stepping aside.

Cole walked through and much to his displeasure saw James on the couch. "So where's Hope?"

"Upstairs. I'll get her," Starr said before heading up the stairs.

Cole looked at James. "You don't have to stay. I'm sure you have something better to do."

James felt anger build up inside him. Who the hell did this guy think he was virtually trying to throw him out of his house? He didn't know why he was surprised though. Cole had always pushed the limits.

James calmly stood up and walked over to Cole. "Let's get something straight right now. You're in my house. You don't get to try to push me out of my own home. I'm not going anywhere. It's about time you realized that."

Just then, Starr led Hope down the stairs and over to Cole and James. "Cole, this is Hope.

Cole smiled at his now not so little girl. "Hi, Hope."

"Hope, say hi to your father," Starr said.

"Hello," Hope said as civilly as she could manage.

"God, you're so beautiful. I knew you would be. Listen, I'm really sorry it's been so ong since we saw each other. I'm sure you have a bunch of questions," Cole said.

"No, I don't. I know what happened. You killed someone and went to jail," Hope said bluntly.

Cole looked at Starr surprised and a bit angry. "You told her that?"

"What, did you want us to lie?" James asked.

"We had to tell her something, Cole. Hope's a smart kid. She wasn't going to stop asking questions until she got her answers," Starr added.

Cole turned back to Hope. "Listen, I don't know what you know about the man I..."

"The man you killed?" Hope finished for him a bit harshly.

"Hope, be nice," James said sternly. While he understood how hard this was for her, Hope knew that she was not allowed to talk to any adult in that tone.

Cole took a second to glare at James. James had no business telling Hope how to behave. He wasn't her father. He was nobody.

Cole cleared his throat and turned back to Hope. "Right, well, he wasn't a very good man. He hurt a lot of people."

"I know that. He hurt Aunt Dani and Grandma Tea and a lot of other people in our family. But killing is wrong," Hope said firmly. That was what she'd always been taught. Her Mom and her Uncle James told her that while they understood what her father did, he was still wrong for doing it.

"Yeah, I know killing is wrong, but I did it for you and for your mom," Cole said.

"Cole," Starr said in a warning tone. She didn't like him telling Hope that. He didn't need her getting the idea that it was okay to kill if it was for the right reason, nor did she want Hope to feel like she was the reason a man was dead.

"I mean, I know it was wrong. It was. I went to jail for it because it was wrong. I confessed because I knew I had done something wrong," Cole said.

"If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?" Hope asked.

"I...It's complicated," Cole said. He was feeling really uncomfortable. He didn't know how to answer Hope's question without coming off as the worst guy in the world.

"Tell her the truth, Cole," James said. He knew Hope and he knew that Hope would not accept that as an anwer. It would just make things even worse.

"Stay out of it! This has nothing to do with you!" Cole said angrily.

"Don't yell at him. He didn't do anything wrong," Hope said.

"It's okay, Hope," James said as he tried to diffuse the situation.

"No, it's not. I said I'd try, but if he's gonna be mean to you then I don't want to talk to him," Hope said before bolting from the room.

"Hope, wait!" Cole called after her.

"Nice job," James said sarcastically.

"Shut up! This is your fault. If you'd stayed out of our business, everything would've been fine," Cole said.

"Everything about that kid is my business. I am in her life and I always will be. That's a fact you'd better lean to accept," James said before leaving the room in search of Hope.


	9. Chapter 9

Starr watched James run after Hope and then glared icily at her ex. "What's the matter with you, Cole? Are you trying to alienate our daughter?"

"Me? He's the one who stuck his nose in where it didn't belong," Cole said.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Who are you to say where James' place is? You've been a part of Hope's life for what, five minutes? James has been there every single day. He has loved her just as much as if she was his," Starr said.

"Well, she's not. I'm her father!" Cole said firmly.

"Yes, you're hope's father. No one can change that. But being her Dad? That's something you're gonna have to earn. You can't just come back after ten years and expect things to go back to the way they were. Hope is not two anymore. She's not the ssame little girl who used to light up and smile when you walked into a room. She's nearly a teenager now. She has a life. You can't just come back and expect her to fall into your arms as if nothing ever happened," Starr told him.

"So you think you can just replace me with James?"

Starr sighed exasperatedly. "God, Cole, no one's talking about taking your place. "In fact, FYI, James is the only reason you got as far as you did today. Hope didn't want to see you," Starr said.

"That can't be true," Cole denied.

"Well, it is. Hope has been angry at you for a long time. She's angry at what you did and the fact that you allowed yourself to be taken away from her. When we told her you were released and wanted to see her, she out and out refused. She didn't want anything to do with you. James is the one who convinced her to see you. He defended you to her because he realized that Hope needed to know her father. He realized that it would be bad for her to think the worst of you. And today when you lashed out at him him, he was only trying to help. He was trying to help you get closer to Hope," Starr explained.

"He got in the way," Cole insisted.

"You were digging yourself into a hole. You were patronizing your daughter like she was a two-year-old. Hope was never going to take 'complicated' for an answer to her question James knew that and he was trying to keep you from making a mistake. Instead of heeding his warning, you decided to make things worse by attacking him. Let me tell you something. You are never going to get anywhere with Hope by blaming James. Hope loves James. He has been a constant in her life for most of her life. You haven't," Starr said.

"Well, I"m here now," Cole said.

Starr let out a frustrated sigh. "You say that like it's supposed to matter to her. I don't know how else to say this, Cole. She doesn't know you. She doesn't want to know you. And you have no one but yourself to blame."

"I did what I did for you," Cole said.

"No, Cole, you did it for you," Starr said. While she understood how Cole could be taken to a place where he could kill Eli, the fact remained, he did it for himself, to make him feel better. "You killed Eli because _you_ were angry. You did it because _you_ wanted revenge. If you had been thinking about us for one minute, you woud've realized that killing in our name was not something we would ever want.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"I don't want you to say anything, Cole. All I want is for you and Hope to have a good relationship. But you need to find your own relationship with her. You can't take someone else's. You can't come back after all these years and pretend James didn't exist. You can't force him out, and if you try, Hope will resent you for it. Now If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on my daughter. Don't be here when I get back," Starr said before heading up the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, James had followed Hope into her room. He found her laying down on her bed. He immediately went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Hope said.

James sighed. "Hope, I don't want you to let how Cole and I feel about each other get in the way of your relationship with him.

"But he was mean to you," Hope argued.

"Yeah, I know. We don't like each other much. But that has nothing to do with you. I don't want you to feel like you have to choose between us," James said. He refused to be that kind of parent. The kind that disparaged another parent to their child. He knew what that was like. His father used to do it all the time after he'd forced his mom out.

"But I wanna choose. I wanna chose you," Hope told him.

James smiled inwardly. It warmed his heart that Hope would actually chose him if she was forced to. He wouldn't let her be forced to though. That wasn't right. "I don't want you to choose. You shouldn't have to. We all love you. Me, your mom, _and_ Cole. We just have to figure out how to come together as a family.

"What if he doesn't want that? What if he makes me choose?" Hope asked.

That was a good question. One he wasn't sure how to answer. What if Cole did force the issue and try to make Hope choose? James wasn't afraid of that choice of course. He was afraid of what making it would do to Hope.

James was saved from answering the question when Starr entered the room. "Hey, guys. Is everything okay?"

"Is he gone?" Hope asked.

"Yeah," Starr said. _At least he better be, _she added to herself.

"Then it's fine. But I kinda want to be alone for a while," Hope said.

James and starr looking at each other, appearing to have a silent conversation. Starr nodded to James and then turned to her daughter. "Okay. We'll be downstairs if you need us."

Hope nodded.

James rubbed Hope's shoulder for a minute and then followed his wife out of the room.


End file.
